History of Japanese People in Hoi An

In the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), a samurai with a peasant background) unified Japan. To grow the economy of the nation, he issued a red seal ship permit system in which sailing boats could embark from Japan to foreign countries to trade.

In 1591, Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen (1563-1635) sent a letter to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After that, the trading relationship between southern Vietnam and Japan was officially established.

In 1618, Christoforo Borri (1583-1632, a Jesuit missionary) visited Hoi An and wrote in his diary that Chinese and Japanese people had their own quarter. Residents in each quarter lived by their own culture, spoke their own language, and had their own regulations.

In 1619, Japanese merchant from Nagasaki Araki Sotaro married Vietnamese princesss Ngoc Hoa (daughter of Nguyen Phuc Nguyen lord). This event reinforced the friendship between Japanese and Vietnamese people.

In 1636, Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651), the 3rd shogun/military ruler of Tokugawa dynasty (1603-1868) closed Japan, requested oversea Japanese people to return home, banned ships leaving the country to trade, expelled Europeans and banne Christianity. Only Nagasaki was kept to exchange with the Dutch. He worried about invasion of Europeans and introduction of Christianity at that time. Because of this event, Japanese merchants and others must leave Hoi An. In the late 17th century, in the diaries of some merchants, missionaries and monks, there were a few Japanese families still living in town.

Nowadays, remains of Japanese people in Hoi An include the Japanese Bridge, a 18-meters-long wooden bridge in the heart of the town, and tombs of three merchants in its outskirt (tomb of Banjiro, tomb of Tani Yarijobei, tomb of Kosukukun). Location of the Japanese quarter has been researched and not confirmed yet by historians. However, many people believe that Nguyen Thi Minh Khai today is the former Japanese quarter (nihonmachi). Along it, there are many buildings with Japanese influences. No Japanese people have lived in Hoi An as a local.

There are a few Japanese tombs in the countryside around Hoi An, which are historically significant as they are believed to be the only known tombs of Edo-era Japanese merchants outside of Japan. They date back to the 17th century, a time when Hoi An was a thriving international trading port with a prominent Japanese quarter.

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